Hopf invariant ($a⌣a=H(\varphi )b$)

For $\varphi :S^{2q-1}\to S^q$, $q>1$, its mapping cone has integral cohomology generators $a$ in degree $q$ and $b$ in degree $2q$. The integer defined by $a⌣a=H(\varphi )b$, with fixed cell orientations, is the Hopf invariant. It measures how an attaching map changes multiplication without changing the additive groups. The complex Hopf fibration has invariant one because its mapping cone is ${\mathbb{CP}}^2$; a constant attaching map has invariant zero.

For the Hopf map $\eta$, the indicated four-cell attachment has cellular boundary multiplication by $f$ from dimension four to three. Its integral cohomology is $\mathbb{Z}$ in degrees zero and two, $\ker (f:\mathbb{Z}\to \mathbb{Z})$ in degree three, and $\mathbb{Z}/f\mathbb{Z}$ in degree four. If $x$ generates degree two and $z$ is the four-cell cochain class, then $x^2=dz$, with every other positive-degree product zero. Collapsing the three-sphere reduces the cup-square calculation to the Hopf invariant; the induced map on degree-four cohomology reduces its integer coefficient modulo $f$. When $f=0$ there is an extra free degree-three class, whose products still vanish by dimension.

Map $X_{d,f}$ to $K(\mathbb{Z},2)={\mathbb{CP}}^{\infty }$ using its degree-two generator. The homotopy fibre is the total space of the corresponding circle bundle, is 2-connected, and has ${\pi }_3$ equal to that of $X_{d,f}$. Over $S^2\vee S^3$ its total space is $P=S^3{\cup }_{S^1}(S^1\times S^3)$, with $H_3(P)=\mathbb{Z}A\oplus \mathbb{Z}B$. The four-cell bundle is trivial; its relative degree-four generator has boundary $dA+fB$, the lifted attaching map. The long exact sequence in relative homology and Hurewicz theorem therefore give ${\pi }_3(X_{d,f})={\mathbb{Z}}^2/⟨(d,f)⟩$. Smith normal form gives the displayed expression when $d>0$, including $f=0$.

Let $\varphi :S^{2q-1}\to S^q$ and precompose with a sphere self-map of topological degree $d$. The resulting map of mapping cones is the identity on the bottom $q$-cell and has degree $d$ on the top $2q$-cell. Pulling back the defining cup product relation for the Hopf invariant multiplies its coefficient by $d$. In particular the element $d\eta \in {\pi }_3(S^2)$ has Hopf invariant $d$. Postcomposition by a degree-$d$ map of the target sphere instead multiplies the invariant by $d^2$.